1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to a device having a function of executing a setting operation using a keyword inputted by a user.
2. Related Art
In general, in order to print out documents generated on a device (e.g., a personal computer), a user operates the device to input printing parameters and to transmit a print instruction containing the printing parameters to a printing device (e.g., a multifunction product). If the user don't know how to set print parameters for printing out documents in a 2-in-1 page layout (where two pages of the document is printed in a sheet), the user opens a help screen and inputs a keyword to a keyword input field of the help screen to search for information on proper printing parameters for the 2-in-1 page layout.
From items displayed on the help screen as a search result, the user is able to select an item relating to the 2-in-1 page layout. When the user selects the item, a box representing instructions for setting of the printing parameter for the 2-in-1 page layout is displayed. By inputting the parameters in accordance with the displayed instructions, the user is able to achieve the printing in the 2-in-1 page layout.
However, names of items to be used as keywords may vary depending on device types. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user is unable to obtain a desirable search result even if the user inputted a keyword, which the user think appropriate, to the help screen.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2004-145774 (hereafter, referred to as JP 2004-145774A) discloses a device (MFP; Multifunction Product) configured to have a table storing first information representing setting items which a setting screen for printing supports and second information representing words synonymous with the setting items in the first information. In the device disclosed in JP 2004-145774A, when the user inputs a keyword “2-in-1” to a keyword input screen, an item matching the keyword “2-in-1” is searched for from the second information, and “Layout” which is first information relating to the second information “2-in-1” is selected. Then, an item for displaying a setting screen for the “layout” is displayed together with other items for displaying other setting screens. By selecting the item “layout” from the displayed items, onscreen representation jumps to the setting screen including a setting item for the “layout”. On this setting screen for the “layout”, the user is allowed to set the setting parameter to the 2-in-1 page layout.
However, in the device disclosed in JP 2004-145774A, the keyword input screen is configured to only have links to setting screens (e.g., the setting screen for the “layout”) which have been stored in advance in the device so that the onscreen representation can jump to a setting screen including a setting item corresponding to the inputted keyword. It should be noted that each setting screen includes a plurality of setting items corresponding to various types of keywords. Therefore, after the setting screen including the setting item corresponding to the keyword is displayed in response to the input of the keyword, the user needs to find out the setting item, which the user wants to set (i.e., corresponds to the inputted keyword), from the displayed setting screen. Such a user operation is inconvenient to the user.